


You Always Have Us

by rhye



Category: Harry Potter - Rowling
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-02-05
Updated: 2010-02-05
Packaged: 2017-10-07 01:09:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/59734
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhye/pseuds/rhye
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A witch slumber party.</p>
            </blockquote>





	You Always Have Us

**Author's Note:**

  * For [crimson83](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts?recipient=crimson83).



> Beta'd by [](http://3whiteroses.livejournal.com/profile)[**3whiteroses**](http://3whiteroses.livejournal.com/)

You Always Have Us

Hermione pointedly ignored Lavender and Parvati scowling at her as she led Luna and Ginny into her dorm room. Her roommates were always picking at her for not having enough friends, not having a life, hanging out too much with Ron and Harry ("the _boys_"). Hermione might as well have guessed that as soon as she brought back a couple girls for a sleep-over they'd find something else wrong with her. She had long ago stopped caring what her roommates thought about anything she did. She didn't even attempt to control the eye roll she sent their way.

They were likely scowling, Hermione thought, because she hadn't informed them of this impromptu sleep-over. Lavender and Parvati invited Natasha and Elise up from Hufflepuff at least once a month. Parvati often had and Padma and her friend Millie from Ravenclaw sleep over, too. Really, Hermione's roommates had nothing to complain about. They'd never once asked Hermione's permission, so she refused to feel the least bit guilty about not having asked theirs.

Luna and Ginny must have felt the coldness undulating off of Hermione's roommates, because they froze only a couple steps into the room. Ginny's face was a cool mask of observation as usual, but Luna seemed to only be taking in the room itself, not its occupants. Until--

"Oh, Parvati!" Luna smiled as if she were seeing an old friend. "I'm sure Padma says hello."

Parvati smiled tensely and nodded. Parvati spent the night in Ravenclaw Tower at least once a month and had for years. Hermione realized then that Parvati must know Luna as well as anyone in Luna's own year did. Lavender huffed at Luna's greeting and went back to reading some soppy love letter-- probably from Ron.

"Are you alright with sleeping on the floor?" Hermione asked as she turned back to Luna and Ginny.

"Oh!" Luna smiled brightly. "We can."

Ginny, though, laughed. "You haven't been to a sleepover before, have you?"

Hermione felt color rising to her cheeks. "Of course I have! Muggles have sleepovers, too."

"Yeah, but those are muggle sleepovers," Ginny tilted her head and then drew out her wand, pointing it imperiously towards Hermione's bed. "_Engorgio_." The bed ballooned into an excessive cushion resembling nothing so much as a beanbag chair the size of a queen mattress. Ginny grinned at Hermione's open mouth. "Climb in, then!"

"That _wasn't_ a use of _engorgio_ listed in the Standard Book of Spells," Hermione muttered, but she followed it with a, "I really should have thought of that."

"What do they," Ginny flicked her head back towards Hermione's roommates, "Do when someone spends the night, then?"

Hermione sighed in frustration as she climbed into the bed. "They make their canopies into beds. But they have enough beds to do that, haven't they? I didn't figure you and Luna would want to share my canopy."

"Canopies are a bit more comfortable than this," Ginny nodded, "But the big mattress is a lot of fun."

"I wouldn't mind sharing a canopy." Luna was staring up as though she were looking at said canopy, but rather she was looking in an entirely different direction. "It does seem pointless with this large mattress, though," Luna added.

Ginny exchanged an awkward glance full of subliminal messages with Hermione. Hermione tried to disapprove, felt too much like she was making fun of Luna while Luna's back was turned, but Ginny was just too genuine, too honest and open, and her obvious indication that she thought Luna was a nutter made Hermione sputter with pent-up laughter. Ginny was in many ways like Ron, actually.

Luna heard, though, and she looked back down to Hermione, then Ginny, then back again. "Have I missed a joke? I do love jokes," Luna said, so painfully innocent and naive-sounding that Hermione felt shame once again.

Ginny seemed to suffer no such affliction, though, as she asked, "What were you looking at, Luna? It looks so odd when you stare off at nothing like that."

"Oh yes, it must look odd to you. I was watching this rufflebug," she pointed at nothing. "I don't think it's doing very well. It's probably looking for a window. Do you mind if I crack yours, Hermione?"

Hermione was caught so off-guard that all she could do was nod dumbly. To herself she wondered if there was such a thing as wizarding schizophrenia and whether it was very dangerous. She shook her head to bring herself back to the moment and to the reason she had brought Ginny here in the first place. Luna had overhead them speaking about the sleepover in the Great Hall at the evening meal and so Hermione had done the only polite thing by inviting Luna. Hermione, though, had dragged Ginny along for an actual reason. Ginny's pursed lips spoke volumes.

"So," Hermione started, "You and Dean broke up."

"Yeah," Ginny nodded.

"Mind if I ask why?" Hermione noticed that Luna did seem to be listening to the conversation, and that Luna was not the only one. The intense silence in the room hinted to Hermione that perhaps Parvati and Lavender were listening as well.

Ginny seemed aware of this too. She peeked a glance over her shoulder to shame them before leaning forward, arms wrapped around her knees and hugged to her chest. Only when Hermione's roommates had resumed their own conversation did Ginny whisper to Hermione and Luna in confidence, "I couldn't stop thinking about _someone else_. It just wasn't going well." Ginny heaved the sigh of the forlorn and lovesick.

"Do you mind if I ask who?" Luna smiled on.

Both girls watched her for a moment, and then Ginny turned to Hermione, silently asking the older girl's advice on the subject. Hermione shrugged.

"Harry," Ginny answered quietly.

"Oh, you still like him then?"

Ginny and Hermione exchange more bewildered glances. Ginny leaned forward and asked forcefully "You _knew_?"

"I do have eyes," answered Luna, and Hermione wasn't sure whether Luna was being acerbic or simply factual.

"Well, don't tell," Ginny said.

"There's no one _to_ tell," Luna focused on Ginny for a second, tilting her head. "Everyone knows, and I haven't got any friends."

"Don't say that," Hermione heard herself command more sharply than she meant.

"Probably not _everyone_," Luna amended.

"I meant," Hermione said quietly, "don't say you haven't got friends."

Ginny nodded. "You always have us."


End file.
